


survey says

by sunnilee



Series: mischief managed [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Animagus, F/M, HMMMMMMM, and all the animals sylvain felix and ingrid would be...., and you can't tell me the faerghus four didn't try to become animagi for one another, but like, is dimitri really full werewolf??, my dogvain agenda continues, sylvain being his best smartass self, we were talking about marauder era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:28:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunnilee/pseuds/sunnilee
Summary: Sylvain was sorted into Ravenclaw when he first arrived. Sure, he enjoys puzzles. Yeah, competing with Annette over coursework was fun.Butthis?This made him feel like he belongs.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Ingrid Brandl Galatea & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Felix Hugo Fraldarius & Ingrid Brandl Galatea & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Ingrid Brandl Galatea/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Series: mischief managed [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1918690
Comments: 12
Kudos: 36





	survey says

**Author's Note:**

  * For [livmoores](https://archiveofourown.org/users/livmoores/gifts).



> liv has pulled me from my HP retirement and we have been ghostwriting each other's fics  
> so here's some follow-up fluff that was born of our conversations <3

Recovery has been rough in the aftermath of what happened in the Abyss.

The Death Eaters, the _Agarthians…_ The Order. Glenn.

Most of them are in various stages of healing. Mercedes was back on her feet within the day, brewing Wiggenweld potion for Madame Casagranda to help heal the rest of their classmates that were caught in the fray. A quick swig of Wound Cleaning Potion for Felix had him out of the hospital wing the next day. Annette and Ashe were a little worse for the wear, but nothing a quick _Episkey_ couldn’t fix. Byleth was kept in the hospital wing for an extra week, slowly regaining her strength in addition to her coordination.

Sylvain needed an extra two days, to let the Skele-Gro really sink in before he could probably walk again. Ingrid… Mercedes handed Ingrid a potion for Dreamless sleep after she found her curled up in his bed, eyes puffy, fists clenched tightly in his wrinkled shirt. Selfishly, he wanted her to stay. Seeing how her shoulders hunched over into herself and the bags underneath her eyes growing darker per day… He sent her away with a squeeze of her hand and a promise that he’d be out soon.

The only one of them who remained unreachable, by potion or spells, was Dimitri.

His memories were still in a jumble, and he was still putting the pieces together from what Ingrid told him when he woke up but, Cornelia was— _is_ a werewolf.

She took Dimitri’s eye… and probably some of his humanity too.

He was kept in the hospital wing for an extra week too. Initially, Sylvain thought it’d be the perfect chance for his childhood friend to get some _alone time_ with his incredibly obvious crush. Instead, he was unpleasantly surprised to hear wolfish growls coming from behind the curtains when he stopped by with the most recent Arithmancy assignments.

The sound stopped him in his tracks and he felt his knees lock in place as a chill ran down his spine. His eyes darted to the emptied bed Byleth had been occupying, then back to the curtains that now had suspicious metal clinks sounding from behind.

Heart pounding in his ears, he forced his feet forward, hands trembling as he reached one out to pull back the curtain.

“Anything I can help you with, Mr. Gautier?”

He nearly jumped out of his skin at Madame Casagranda’s voice. He whirled around, reflexively shoving his hands into his robes. “N-nothing! Just dropping off some homework for Dimitri. How is he by the way?”

A shadow passed over her face and Sylvain’s stomach sunk. He watched her thin her lips and look away. “Mr. Blaiddyd’s condition remains… unclear in stability. So, I must ask you to leave. He’s only allowed one visitor at a time.”

Sylvain raised an eyebrow. “One visitor? I’m the—” his brain registered the empty bed and he smiled. “Right. One visitor policy. My mistake. Before I leave, could you make sure Dimitri gets these assignments? Professor Hanneman may not look it, but I swear he would cast a permanent sticking charm to keep us in class if he were pressed.” 

Without waiting for a response, he high-tailed it out of there, mentally combing through the aisles of the Restricted Section of the library he’d have to sneak books out of before school lets out for the summer.

He has to find _something_ his Ravenclaw brain is good for.

* * *

The idea hits Sylvain like a _Rictumsempra_ in the middle of Professor Flayn’s Muggle Studies course first thing in the morning.

He’s giddy.

He’s incapacitated with the thought.

He’s a _genius._

Sylvain is practically vibrating in his chair next to Ingrid that he doesn’t even whine when she elbows him sharply and raises an exasperated eyebrow at his antics. He can barely contain his giggles when he meets her gaze. The way her bangs fall into her eyes usually makes his heart skip a beat.

Today?

 _Today_ , it makes Sylvain wonder how it would change if they all became Animagi.

He privately takes a moment to thank the Sorting Hat for recognizing his true potential.

Last he heard from the hospital wing, Dimitri was still dealing with the whole spectrum of emotions. There’s still a lot to unpack with what happened that night.

For all of them.

And honestly, muggles have the right idea. As wizards, they can _adapt_.

Therapy animals do wonders for the healing process, but they don’t have any time to train animals to Dimitri’s needs.

But they _do_ have time to learn how to become Animagi.

Transfiguration?

Right up his Ravenclaw alley.

The kids at the Uagadou School of Magic are taught self-transfiguration at the get go. He’s not about to get shown-up by a fourteen year old.

* * *

Ingrid and Felix level him with incredulous stares in the Kitchens that night. He was bubbling with excitement. Therapy animals were _exactly_ what Dimitri needed, and becoming Animagi? Just another puzzle to figure out.

Instead of the enthusiastic fanfare he expected for this academic breakthrough, Ingrid and Felix exchanged glances that made him realize he was going to need several more opinions to convince them. Good thing he already thought about that.

“I don’t know, Sylvain. Isn’t becoming an Animagus super dangerous?”

“Isn’t it also super long and complicated to get started?”

Sylvain nods sagely and nibbles on a chocolate frog. “I hear your concerns and I have already considered them. Survey says Animagus is the way to go, so I’ve already nicked the books from the library.”

He gets silence in return and continues on, “Mercedes thinks it’s an excellent way to calm Dimitri down. Annette thinks taking on the entire process of Animagus training is a worthy intellectual challenge. Dedue supports anything that could help Dimitri. Ashe thinks it’s noble for us to undertake such a long process for our friend—”

“Sylvain… exactly how many people did you ask about becoming Animagi?”

“Enough to get you two on board, why?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s illegal if we’re not registered.”

Sylvain opens his mouth and closes it. Felix groans at the same time Ingrid sighs and covers her eyes, rubbing her temples.

They sneak into the Herbology greenhouse for mandrake leaves in the next few hours.

It was a good thing summer was coming in the next few weeks. They had to keep the leaves in their mouths for an _entire month._

* * *

Dimitri doesn’t join them at Ingrid’s for the holiday recess, but maybe it’s for the better. He’s still recovering at the academy under the watchful eye of Madame Casagranda. If his sources are correct, Byleth stayed behind too.

Currently, Sylvain’s sprawled out numerous Transfiguration texts on the table in front of him, ink pot drying under the summer sun as he tries to decipher the next list of things they need to hunt down. As well as the _exact_ sequence they would have to undergo to get this right.

The next full moon after their month with mandrake leaves were up was in ten days. They had vials ready, hairs too. Hunting down the chrysalis of a Death’s-head Hawk Moth was going to be a challenge… but the silver teaspoon of dew untouched by sunlight or human feet for a week, they scouted a place last week and they could collect tonight. They could use the same nearby cavern to store their brewing.

The only bump in their plan was the electrical storm. They’ve been chanting ‘ _Amato Animo Animato Animagus’_ on a daily basis since he first proposed the plan, but the storm was the most unpredictable part of the waiting game.

Sylvain rubs his eyes wearily and picks up his wand, placing the tip over his heart.

_“Amato Anima Animato Animagus._ ”

* * *

The lightning strikes a month later. Sylvain lifts his vial to cheers with Ingrid and Felix. They chant the incantation one last time.

They throwback the potion.

* * *

The game plan was for Ingrid to attempt the transfiguration first. Her strengths were with Defense Against the Dark Arts, rather than transfiguration. He and Felix would be on standby if anything went wrong, reversing spells at the ready.

Lightning flashes overhead and a pristine white pegasus with a glistening blonde mane and green-tipped wings stands in Ingrid’s place. Her surprised neighing causes him to burst out in excited laughter. Excitement because _she did it._ Laughter, because Ingrid Brandl Galatea, a god damn _horse girl_ at heart.

He steals a glance at Felix. His normally stoic friend’s eyes are wide with wonder and anticipation, fingers flexing on his wand as Ingrid trots over. Sylvain’s body is absolutely brimming with giddiness as she headbutts his stomach, tail swishing in the rain.

Felix is next. They share a quick nod and his friend is gone. Instead, Sylvain finds himself blinking at an incredibly incensed black cat with an extra tuft of hair in between his ears that darts into Ingrid’s shadow to avoid the rain. Taking pity on him, Ingrid extends a wing for him to stay as dry as possible. Amber eyes stare back at him and he _actually_ hisses.

Sylvain almost chokes on his snort, rain shooting up his nose as Felix stews angrily underneath Ingrid’s feathers.

With his two friends accomplishing successful transfigurations, he inhales deeply. His hair lays flat on his forehead, knuckles white around his wand. 

Lightning forks across the sky once more and Sylvain closes his eyes and looks inward.

The air smells of electricity and earth. The grass is slippery beneath his toes and he opens his eyes.

Ingrid is _much_ taller than he remembers, but Felix is as small as ever, huddled under the protection of Ingrid’s wing. Sylvain blinks twice and he feels laughter bubbling in his chest again.

Instead of his usual gleeful, gravelly laughter, a high pitched bark comes out instead.

His entire body shakes with the swing of his new tail and he crouches low on his haunches, readying to pounce at Felix.

He’s a ginger toller and he’s never felt so _free._

* * *

The next morning, he and Ingrid come down with a fever. Felix escapes unscathed and ferries them Pepper Up potions.

They have cooling towels on their forehead as they down the freshest batch of potion, Sylvain sneezing violently shortly thereafter.

Ingrid pats his shoulder in solidarity as a chill runs through her. He lolls his head to rest on her shoulder and sighs. “It’s been a _ruff_ few months, Ing.”

Ingrid halfheartedly shrugs her shoulder but ultimately lets him stay where he is. Her pinky brushes against his and his heart skips a beat. “You did good, Sylvain. I’m proud of you.”

Sylvain hopes he can write the flush on his cheeks off as the fever.

**Author's Note:**

> more shenanigans to follow


End file.
